Our
arrival in Suriname was a true happening. Local people do not believe
that we really have sailed here all the way, so we get many
questions. But the other yachties believe us of course. We met many old friends so
there were many social calls, drinks, bbq's and information exchange to
start with, while Witte Raaf is
on a mooring for 5 euro's per day. A comforting thought because the tide
runs at 2 knots and the stories about yachts dragging their anchor,
are many.
A second welcome comittee of JW's Surinamese family (4 persons) came to visit us the
next day.
We are staying in Domburg, approximately 15 km east of Paramaribo where we had
to go in the first week to arrange paperwork with the authorities. We went
there by
bus at 07.30, the first half hour the wrong way but at least we had a
roof above our heads. Some last heavy rain as the short wet season ends by
the end of January PHOTO1.
In Paramaribo we first went to the Ministry of External Affairs for the
visa. A Ministry sounds like something big, but they are located in rather big normal houses. Very authentic wooden
buildings, which is nice. Even the cathedral is constructed in wood. PHOTO2.

We
had to complete the forms before 10.00 AM, pay 30 US dollars, and bring 2
photo's pp, a photocopy of our passports, a photocopy of the exit stamps plus 2 copies
of the crew list, but we received our visa that very same day. After this
we visited the
military police, another crew list, ship's papers, told that JW’s mum
was born in Albina (magic words), and we got our entry stamps.
We also had
to do a lot of shopping. On every street corner you find a small “supermarket”
run by Chinese PHOTO3.
The buses are driven by Hindustani and the Creoles are in government
service. Of course we visited the colourful central market PHOTO4.
Ate some traditional scraped ice PHOTO5while
we were waiting for JW's niece Marjorie to pick us up. She lives in a
traditional Surinamese house,
“open” at ground level and a living on the first floor with a veranda
on two sides and glass shutters; ventilation is extremely
important here. PHOTO6
The following day we returned to Domburg. Quite a contrast, Domburg a
small village PHOTO7peaceful
with only one big square with many small restaurants around it.

Everything
here is lush and large and you see coconut palmtrees all over the place. PHOTO8
Suriname has a
tremendous diversity of trees, plants and flowers. Also hundreds
of birds types, you hear the "kissmequick" all day (it says its
name);
parrots, vultures and many species that we have not yet determined.
Animals: already on our first day a huge ant eater swam around the boat PHOTO9.
People
say it is agressive, so we have to be careful when to swim. There are
piranhas as well
and after P swam across the river (1 km wide), that crazy Bakra who swam
amidst the caymans was the talk of the town.
We were invited by Bea & Ben, who have a nice house here with 1 ha of
ground. They grow all kinds of fruit&veg and after an extensive meal
we got extensive lessons about their produce. Tasty fruit:
“pomplemousse” (a kind of large grapefruit, diameter 30 cm) PHOTO10,
rambutan PHOTO11, tangeloo (something between orange and mandarin), oranges, grapefruits, bananas, mangos
and much more. Vegetables: cassave,
“bread fruit” FOTO12,
egg plant, bittermelon and much more. Everything is big, bigger, biggest.
And there is much of everything, the soil is very fertile. But people have to work hard
to get it.